Device for sharpening razors



(No Model.)

E. A. SUTPHEN. DEVICE FOR SHARPENING RAZORS.

No. 480,976. Patented Aug. 16, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. SUTPHEN, OF AURORA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELE, AND HERBERT T.WINDSOR, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR SHARPENING- RAZORS.

SPECIFICATIONTforming part of Letters Patent No. 480,976, dated August16, 1892.

Application led August 24:, 1891. Serial No. 403.629. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom. it may concern.:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. SUTPHEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for SharpeningRazors, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top or plan view.Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 isa side elevation of a portion of the device, a portion of the handlebeing broken away.

My invention relates to devices adapted to be used as aids in sharpeningrazors, and more particularly to devices of this class in which therazor is carried in a suitable holder, which is adapted to automaticallyreverse the razor when it is being sharpened.

The objects ot' my invention are to provide a new and improved device ofthis description in which the razor will be manipulated with greatsmoothness, and the danger of inj uring the edge of the razor or thestrop will be reduced to the minimum, and also to simplify and cheapenthe construction of devices of this nature. I accomplish these objectsas hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawings. That whichI regard as new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, l indicates the razor-sharpening device, which consistsot' a frame 2, which is preferably rectangular in shape, being somewhatlonger than the blade of a razor and from two and one-half to threetimes the width of an ordinary razor blade. The frame 2 is supported bya rod 3, which extends centrally from one end of the frame 2 asufficient distance to form a handle, and is then twisted to form acoiled spring 4., as best shown in Fig. 1, the coiled spring passingback toward the frame 2 around the rod 3. The coil t is singlecontinuous wire of suitable elasticity, which is bent to the form shownin Fig. 1 to form the frame 2, rod 3, and coiled spring 4, which formsthe handle.

6 indicates a rotatable razor-support composed of a frame which isadapted to hold the razor. The frame 6 consists of a back 7, providedwith upwardly-extending sides 8, which are adapted to receive the bladeof the razor and extend along the frame for about the length of arazor-blade. Upwardly-extendin g lips 9 are provided at one end of theframe, which are adapted to receive and hold the handle of the razor.The razor is adapted to be fitted into the frame 6 by sliding it endwiseinto the groove formed by the side pieces 8 and the lips 9, the bladebeing held between the side pieces 8 and the handle between the lips 9,as above described. The frame 6 7o is supported near its outer end uponthe onteiend of lthe frame 2, its inner end, which consists of a rod orshaft l0, being adapted to extend under the rod 3, where it is journaledin brackets 11, which are secured to said rod 3 and depend therefrom.IIwo brackets 11 are preferably provided, which are placed a shortdistance apart and are provided with eyes adapted to receive the shaft10 and to form bearings therefor. The brackets l1 are rigidly secured tothe rod 3 at right angles thereto in any suitable manner.

l2 indicates a string which extends horizontally across the handleformed by the coil 4 at any suitable point, preferably at its inner end,andiswound once ortwice around the shaft 10. By this construction whenthe frame 2 is resting upon the razor-strop the inner end of the handlemay be moved to the right or to the left, and by reason of thearrangement of the string l2 around the shaft 10 the shaft and frame 6will be caused to partially rotate, the movement being similar to thatof a fiddledrill. This will cause the razor-blade to be turned first toone side and then to the other as the handle Vis operated, and it willrest upon the razor-strop in about the position indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 1. The frame 2 will then be moved along the strop by thehandle and the razor sharpened in the usual manner. The friction of theframe 2 upon the strop will be sufiicient to hold the frame ICO 6 at oneend or the other of the string l2, depending upon the direction in whichthe frame 2 is moved, so that as said frame is moved upon the strop therazor-blade Will always be held in contact With the strop in position tobe sharpened. As the rod 3 passes centrally through the coil 4 and isintegral With said coil at the outer end of the coil, as hereinbeforedescribed, said rod will normally lie at about the center of the coil,and therefore when the frame 2 is removed from the strop the frame 6will resume the posltion shown in Fig. 1, the razor-blade beingperpendicular to the frame 2. A portion of the Wire composing the coil 4preferably extends horizontally across the upper portion of the innerend of the coil, as shown at l3in Fig. 2, to form a stop to prevent therod 3 from bearing against the upper surface of the coil when downwardpressure is lapplied to the coil in stropping the razor.

The string l2 may be made of any suitable material, such as strong cordor fine chain.

Instead of making the rod 3 and coil 4 of a single continuous Wire, asabove described, the end of the rod may be rigidly secured to the outerend of the coil; but the former construction is preferred, as it issimpler and less expensive.

By constructing the handle 4 of flexible or elastic Wire I avoid thenecessity of pivoting or hinging the handle to render it susceptible oflateral movements relative to the rectangular frame 2 to turn therazor-support 6 in opposite directions. The flexibility or elasticity ofthe handle-coil 4 enables it to be rigidly secured to the outer end ofthe rod 3, and consequently the device can be economically manufactured.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a rectangular frame 2, having a rod 3, of aiiexible-wire handle inclosing the rod, rigidly secured to the outer endthereof and movable laterally in relation to the rectangular frame, arazor-support journaled in the flexible handle and adapted to rest uponthe rectangular frame, and devices for turning the razor-support by thelateral movements of the handle, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an angular frame 2, having a rod 3, of aeXible-Wire handle inclosing the rod, rigidly secured to the outer endthereof and movable laterallyin relation to the rectangular frame,arazor-support j ournaled in the handle and adapted to rest upon therectangular frame, and a cord l2, extendingihorizontally across thehandle near its innerend and Wound on a part of the razorsupport forturning the latter alternately in opposite directions, substantiallyasdescribed.

The combination, with a frame 2, rod 3, extending centrally from one endof said frame, and an elastic handle rigidly secured at its outer end tothe outer end of the rod 3, of a razor-supporting frame, the outerend ofwhich is adapted to rest upon the frame 2 and being pi voted at itsinner end Within the handle, and a cord 12, extending horizontallyacross the handle near its inner end, said cord being Wound around theinner end of the razor-supporting frame in such manner that as the frame2 is moved back and forth upon the razor-strop by means of the handlethe razor-supporting frame will be partially rotated alternately inopposite directions to cause the razor carried thereby to rest upon therazor-strop, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a frame 2, rod 3, extending centrally from oneend of said frame, a coil 4, rigidly secured at its outer end to theouter end of the rod 3 and extending toward the frame 2 around said rod,and a cord 12, extending horizontally across the inner end of said coil,of a razor-supporting frame 6, having a shaft 10 on its inner end,brackets ll, secured to said rod 3 and depending therefrom in suchposition that they will be adapted to support the shaft lO, said cord l2being Wound around said shaft, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

5. A razor-sharpener consisting of a rectangular frame 2, a rod 3, and aiiexible-handle coil 4, all formed of a single continuous piece of Wire,with the rod extending through the handle-coil, a razor-support adaptedto rest upon the said frame, and devices for turning the razor-supportwhen the said frame is moved upon a razor-strop by means of thehandle-coil, substantially as described.

6. In a razor-sharpening device,the combination, with a handle and aframe secured thereto and projecting therefrom, of a razorsupportingframe carried thereby, and a cord secured to said handle and Woundaround a portion of said razor-supporting frame, the arrangement beingsuch that the razor-supporting frame will be partially rotatedalternately in opposite directions by the movement of the handle,substantially as and for the purpose specied.

EDXVARD A. SUTPHEN.

Vitnesses:

Z. A. BARTON, E. W. BURNELL.

IOO

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